Debbie Wasserman Schultz: World must speak out as anti-Semitism rises again

Debbie Wasserman Schultz

From cafes in Belgium to streets in Paris to right here in South Florida, we have witnessed an alarming increase of horrific acts of anti-Semitism.

This unabashed hatred of the Jewish people is manifesting itself in terrifying ways. Chants of "death to Jews" are heard in the streets of France, while anti-Israel demonstrators throughout the world have hurled similar messages.

Tragically, my own constituents have personally experienced terrifying and heinous crimes against them just within the past couple weeks. Last week, congregants and neighbors were horrified to find that swastikas had been spray-painted on the walls of Torah V'Emunah synagogue in Miami-Dade County. On July 28, a Jewish couple in Miami Beach found the words "Hamas" and "Jew" had been smeared on their car.

These acts are reprehensible and must not be tolerated. For all of us in the Jewish community, these incidents are like a knife in the heart, bringing back memories of a time where hatred and bigotry ran rampant.

But this issue is not just a concern for the Jewish community. All of us who care about the rights of minority populations in this country, who contribute to the rich diversity that makes up our great nation, should be concerned and speak out.

We cannot afford to be silent as unbridled and blatant hatred and vitriol work their way into our communities wherever bigotry, prejudice, and injustice exist - wherever those communities may be.

It is incomprehensible that these incidents are occurring in 2014, not World War II Nazi Germany. But unfortunately, we are also witnessing what Anti-Defamation League Director and Holocaust survivor Abe Foxman recently called, "the worst anti-Semitism since World War II."

For example, in France, in an episode that is chillingly reminiscent of Kristalnacht, we witnessed angry rioters throw firebombs at synagogues and ransack and destroy Jewish-owned businesses.

In Belgium, a cafe publicly displayed a sign saying dogs were allowed in the café, but Jews were not.

Thankfully, we have seen the leaders of European countries, including Germany, France and Italy, speak out and condemn these acts of pure hatred. There are also numerous other courageous voices across Europe speaking up in the face of this barbarism. But not enough.

This anti-Semitism is real, this hatred is real, and the violence is real.

While we know that anti-Semitism has always existed, and while the past few years have seen whispers and murmurs become louder, it is clear this is different.

This recent surge of anti-Semitism is borne out of a knee-jerk misguided reaction to violence raging in Israel and Gaza.

But this conflation and confusion of anti-Semitism with the recent actions of Israel in defense of her people is completely misplaced. Israel's actions are a direct response against rocket attacks from a terrorist organization whose stated mission is Israel's destruction and who thrives on a continuing narrative of anti-Semitism.

As Jews, as humans, we mourn the loss of innocent lives. And as we consider how and why these lives have been lost, we turn again to Hamas, the brutal terrorist organization that chooses to hide rocket caches in schools. That chooses to run its nefarious operations from underneath hospitals.

Unfortunately, there are few, way too few, lone voices around the world criticizing a Hamas government that knowingly and willingly puts its citizens — its children — in harm's way, placing them in jeopardy and sacrificing their lives to engender sympathy for their evil cause.

Instead of condemning these cowardly practices by Hamas, we hear little from much of the world against a terrorist organization that chose to invest in rockets and building tunnels for plotting murderous attacks against innocent civilians instead of investing in homes, schools and hospitals for its citizens.

Opposing the actions of a government is one thing — whether misplaced or not. But turning that opposition into violent, appalling actions rooted in deep-seated and unfounded hate against an entire people has no place in our world.

The words and phrases these protesters are using have been dug up from the worst episodes of human history.

Because of this unbridled violence from Hamas I will continue to use my voice as a member of Congress .and I am a proud co-sponsor of H.R. 707 that condemns any and all forms of anti-Semitism. I am also proud to stand with President Obama and Secretary Kerry and send a clear message that these actions will not be tolerated.

America must lead the way. Our leaders must censure these heinous, hateful acts here at home and around the world. We must speak out and never again stand silent in the face of this kind of horror, this kind of bigotry, this kind of injustice. In this instance, we cannot and must not let history repeat itself.